"Typical" BOR

[momma_bee]

Please describe your troops "typical" BOR.

I know what is intended, and what it allowed, but I would love to hear what others are like.

How often do you have them? Do you have a set schedule, or when a Scout requests it?

Any problems staffing them?

Questions you hate, or love?

And, if you have a second, see my other thread, "Typical" Patrol Leader.

MBee

[Lynda J]

Our BOR are set for the week after a Scout has his SMC. Our CC sets it up. The SPL presents the boy to the Board. Most BORs take from 15 to 20 minutes. The Scouts are NOT retested. They discuss how the Scout feels he is doing in the Troop. If there is anything that he would like to change about how the troop is run. Are there things he would like for the troop to be doing that it is not. How he feels about how our troop interacts with the community. The Scout is returned to the troop meeting. After discussion the CC call the SPL and the Scout back congratulatesthe Scout and asks the SPL to announce that the Scout has reached the new "whatever the rank is".

"When I sit on a Eagle BOR one of my favorite questions is
What badge did you enjoy earning the most. Which one the least
and which badge do you think you learned the most from."
Many times the answer to the first one and the last one are the same badge.

[DadScout]

No real set schedule but we try to have 2 per month. We'll also fit one in if need and we have enough adults around which we usually do. The scout is called out of the troop meeting to the BOR which is normally run by our AdvChair. The scout must be in full uniform with his scout book. I know that full uniform thing might bring a comment or two but that's the way it is. For the first 3 ranks the BOR is very quick(5-10min) and the typical question are what do you like, don't like, what would you change, is there anything we need to address, ect.
When they get to Star and Life they get the same questions but we start getting into what they can give back, are they doing enough, or maybe too much. Avg length is 10-15mins but can go longer if the Scouts got lots on his mind.
There is a little "retesting" but it's usually on things like can they recite the scout oath or law and what it means to them. Never anything like tell me what the first aid responce is for a snake bite. The retesting never holds a scout back, it's normally just a discussion point on things they might need to work on.
For all BORs the board might discuss anything that went good or bad with the scout since the last BOR, things that might need to be worked on. The Scout is then dismissed and the board checks that all the signoffs look right. The results of the night are given to the SM and he makes the announcement at the end of the night.
SM/ASM and the parent of the child can't sit on the BOR. No parent has ever asked to be a spectator at their childs either. In the past 3 years only one scout failed a BOR. He had a leadership position signed off on and the BOR counted the months and he came up short. He passed the BOR one or two months later.

[OldGreyBear]

I was the District's Advancement Chair for awhile a few years back. I had a Scoutmaster ask me if I could do an Eagle BoR "next Thursday", seeing as it was Tuesday, I assumed he meant a week from this coming Thursday. Well, you know what happens when you assume! So, two days later I get a phone call at 7:15PM from the scoutmaster asking if I had forgotten and I said I thought it was next week. Well, no, it wasn't. They had the hall open and the rest of the Board assembled. So mumbling some uncoutlike words I threw on my uniform and sped (but not over any limits mind you) off to the BOR. It wasn't that far and I got there in 5-7 minutes. I walked in, we all laughed and we got started. About 30 minutes later as I was ready to wrap things up, I asked my pet question, which is a two parter, the first part is, "What point of the scout law do you think we could drop", Usually most scouts say something like Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, or Cheerful because they say its hard to be one without the others. I have forgotten his answer. Then I got to the second part, if you throw out one, what would you replace it with? Most scouts stumble around that one, one even said "Boy I didn’t see that one coming" and really struggle and usually need some coaching.

But not this guy, I say what would you replace it with and he says "Punctual" almost as soon as I asked the question. The whole room goes silent as a tomb. You could hear a pin drop. I felt warm and the room was beginning to spin, I must have flushed quite deeply as the whole group (save scout) burst out in a roar that is stilled talked about today. The only person redder than I was the scout, who I honestly don't think was trying to be "funny"; he just answered the query as well as he could.

After composure was restored, the BOR went on for about 3 minutes more whereupon he was excused.

Yes he got his Eagle, though the scoutmaster and I only talked about "dates" when scheduling future Eagle BOR's.

[WVBeaver05]

Our Troop is very fortunate to have an active committee. We normally have 3 or more committee members at each meeting and usually are able to convene the BOR as soon as the Scout is ready. This is really excellent and I congratulate our entire committee.

We have even been able to excuse a Scout and committee members to hold a BOR at an Eagle service project.

As an ASM/SM I don't get to ask questions or listen, but the best questions in my opinion are ones that make the Scout think before answering. The higher the rank, the more I believe they should have to think -- not think in terms of recall some requirement, but think in terms of putting information together and relating it to Scouting, citizenship, etc.

YiS

[Mrw]

We have SM conferences scheduled for the second Tuesday of each month and this usually works okay. BOR's are supposed to be the next week so we can always plan on having enough adults present. The only problem with this is that we have about 30 active boys and we find it hard to get all the BOR's done in a week at times. We have even done this with two boards in different rooms and run out of time. Then we finish the next week.

The actual interview is pretty similar to those described above.

Our last Eagle candidate said he would eliminate "Reverent" from the scout law and the district guy wanted to fail him on that reason alone. The reason he had answered that was that he saw all the other points as refering to how the scout relates to other people and that one as strictly personal. He did get the Eagle.

[vpalango]

We do ours at the last troop meeting of the month. This is also our "book" night where we try and set up a structured time for scouts to "test out" on various skills.

I'm an ASM so I don't sit on the boards, thus I'm not hearing alot of the questions (except the ones my son repeats to me when he has gone through them )

We also tell the boys that they need to have arranged to have thier SM conference by the week before boards, and to "sign up" for the boards with our troop historian (who has the job of taking this list to the advancement chair).

This is one of the places where we are trying to teach the boys to take resonsibility for scheduling things and planning thier work.

On another note, BOR night is typically a pretty long and sometimes chaotic meeting, as we frequently have a room full of boys working on a wide variety of requirements, and then some comming and going to boards.

Right now we have very little problem staffing boards as our advancement chair is VERY good at contacting and organizing having enough parents to usually have 3 simultaneous boards going at once. We also have had our commissioner come out to do an informal BOR training from time to time.

[scoutchallenge]

After the SM signs the book the Scout has to call the committee members from the list and get 3 to agree to meet for a BOR at the next meeting. I have watched my boys call up to 9 committe members and end up without 3 yes' (additionally he left several messages on recorders).

Then they meet after the regular meeting answer a few questions and are advanced to the next rank.

I recently explained the need to have the scout step away from the BOR so that a discussion could be had. The next BOR turned down my son for rank.

Questions that I usually ask a related to past activities, good and bad, and future wishes, advancement goals, possitions of leadership.

I also attempt to findout if the Scout knows what is required of the next rank, many don't know where some pitfalls are.

[Mrw]

I would strongly suggest the troop set up given days for the BOR's and that way they could be assured the committee members will be there when needed.

It would also be a good idea to do some training on the purposes of a BOR with your committee at their next meeting. There is an actual short program for this. I will have to look and see where I found it and then I can post the link for it.

Having the boys set up their own BOR's everytime, especially for the younger guys seems a bit much to me.

[FrankJ]

Here is a link to a BSA training module http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/supplemental/18-625/index.html
Scoutmaster.org also has good board of review stuff http://www.scoutmaster.org/

Assembling a BOR is really a commitee function. The scout shouldn't be required to ask individuals to serve on a board or even have a say in its composition.

[Mrw]

Thanks for posting that Frank, That was what I was looking for.

[momma_bee]

I don't know how ours have been run but I know that I have walked into a meeting and learning I needed to stay to sit on a BOR.

We tried planning a date but I don't know if anyone was called or not.

Last week was a planned date and we were short an adult. Our bigger problem was the time factor. We have been told we MUST be out by 8pm and that only allows for three 15 minute BOR's (figure opening and closing and whatnot.)

We always ask a first aid question because they seem to know the material well and it is very important. I don't think of it as retesting, because we guide them to the right answer if they are off - it is giving them questions they usually get right, without thinking, to boost their confidence before they get to the tougher ones.

Everyone loves the 'punctual' suggestion. Thank you for sharing.

[ICanCanoeCanU]

Our troop echos much of what's been said here already.

No set dates for BOR, just when a scout needs one and has finished his SMC. We are usually available most every meeting.

Questions are basic, trying to find out what the boys likes, doesn't like, thinks should be changed etc. We like to see what the boys think are the strenghts and weakness of the troop and what makes them want to stay in scouting.

We also ask questions geared towards the individual and also like to make them think a bit. What was the toughest requirement for the rank, and why was it tough.
And most important too - we like to ask them about their future. What type of positions are they interested in. What rank would they like to be at in a year. What badges the want to work on next.

For the Life rank - we like to ask them questions that an Eagle review board would be looking at to prepare them in thought a bit. What are the most valuable things you've learned in scouting. Which part of the oath do think is most important. How do you think scouting will impact your future.

[FrankJ]

The adult leaders of the troop, in this case the commitee, are charged with providing advancement oppurnities such as board of reviews. After a scout properly asks for a BOR it should happen in a timely manner, either at a regulary scheduled advancement night or at a time that works for the scout & commitee.

As much as reviewing the scout, the BOR should be giving the commitee insight on well the program is working.

[momma_bee]

SPAM ALERT.

I checked with my boss. The only Scouter that outranks me.

We agreed that we took a bad (Scout) situation and made it better once and could do it again. We even agreed that it was possible that the boys and their parents chose this troop because they had certain expectations of us.

He pointed out that I tend to dwell on negative things; perhaps to the point of not mentioning the positives. He also mentioned that perhaps there was no perfect program, only folks who focus on the positive and quietly try to change the negatives.

We disagreed on whether or not this was the time or place to attempt a change.

I defer to his judgment.

MBee

My apologies to the board for my spam. I know that it is in poor form but chose to multi-post because I felt the same failing (in me) was addressed by other posters and I should answer them. And, I do truly apologize for attempting to validate my negative opinions here and hope that my posts are not considered indicative of Scouting everywhere.